Relevancy to Inferential Statistics:
Research: What additional resources did you explore for information on your
Chosen topic? Did you ask an expert in the field? Did you reference
a book or encyclopedia? Did you use the internet? Document these
sources properly.
Hypothesis: With research in hand, you should be able to formulate an hypothesis.
Your hypothesis statement should attempt to predict the outcome of the
project. For example: “People who drive large SUV’s are more likely to be
talking on their cell phone while driving.”
Materials: Make an exact list of materials so your classmates could reproduce your
project. Include brand name, model number, size, color, and any other
important details. List the number of each item needed. Be sure to
document your measurement tools.
Procedure: Write down the exact steps that you used. Did you need to modify the
original procedure to account for something unexpected? Did you find a
better procedure — if you did, then tell us about it.
Experimentation: This is the part where you do the project. Keep a notebook of
your results at the time of experimentation. Messy is fine. Take pictures
of your work, and be sure you are in some of the pictures. Do a trial run to
get a good feel for the project. Once you settle on a procedure, be sure to
repeat it several times. Is it reproducible? Record all results.
Observations: These are your written notes about what you saw, heard, felt, smelled, and
thought during the project. If you were measuring the size of pumpkins,
would your observations be good enough for someone in California to get a
mental picture of your measurement procedure without ever seeing a picture?
Measurements: These are the hard facts. Which variables did you change and which ones
did you hold constant. Can you prove what varied and what did not by looking
at your data? If you can not get measurements, you do not have a project.
Remember, measurements moved us from the Middle Ages to the Modern era.
Analysis: This is where you review all of the information and results you have collected.
Was something important missed? Does part of the experiment need repeating?
Do your calculations for Mean and Std. Deviation, for example. What are your tentative conclusions? Do rough plots and graphs of your data. Are you complete?
Presentation of Results: This is where you polish your message for public consumption,
make attractive graphs, type up your report, put together a Powerpoint
presentation. Select graphs that make your process and conclusions clear.
Conclusions: This step ties your results back to your hypothesis. If someone only read your
conclusions, they should be able to summarize your effort and its relevancy to
their work. Be sure that your conclusions cover the following points:
1) Did the project results confirm my prediction?
2) Did the project results contradict my prediction?
3) Could I control my project conditions properly. If not, why not?
4) What changes could be made if I were to do a follow-up project?
5) Which questions were answered and which ones remain?
6) What new questions can be hypothesized based on these results?
7) Was this a good project, considering the scope of this project?
Describe why you chose this project and why it is relevant.
Appropriate humor is appreciated.
Body of Report
Cover each of the 10 steps from Research through Conclusions. Make transitions and topic headings obvious. No prescribed length.
Research
Hypothesis
Materials
Etc. Include Graphs and Pictures as appropriate.
